Genesee Oktoberfest

Three things remind me that summer is coming to an end: NFL Preseason, WWE Summerslam and Fall Beer hitting the shelves. I enjoy all three of these things but I could always wait just a little bit longer for all of them to arrive. Now that they have arrived though, I feel I might as well enjoy them. Well, actually it is a bit difficult to enjoy NFL Preseason Football. I think you really have to be vested in a particular roster battle to even remotely care about the games. Personally, I spend most of my time watching those games hoping no one gets injured, but that's beside the point. We are here to talk about fall beer, not meaningless football and that is what we are going to do.

Last year, I wrote a two-part blog covering several Oktoberfest beers(Part 1 & Part 2. Some were great, some were not, but those were two of the most fun blogs I have written so far. One beer missing from that blog was Genesee Oktoberfest. The reason for this happening was I decided to protest the release of fall beers until I felt the weather outside could be considered actual fall. This was an incredibly stupid thing to do on my part because I missed the opportunity to have Genesee Oktoberfest chilling in my refrigerator. Arguably the best value in beer on shelves right now, Genesee Oktoberfest sold out practically as quick as it arrived last year. That may not have actually been the case, but it certainly seemed that way to me. This year however, I did not make same mistake. I bought it the moment I saw it, and ran out of the store giddy to open a can and write about it.

After opening a can and pouring Genesee Oktoberfest into a glass, I was greeted with the familiar aromas of Oktoberfest beer. Caramel, toasted bread, a light nuttiness with floral and spicy hops. The hop aroma is noticeably light but it is there. The first sip matched the nose but there was a clear difference between this Oktoberfest beer and a lot of the others I discussed last year. The difference is Genesee Oktoberfest is noticeably lighter bodied. This might sound like a criticism but that is not necessarily the case. Being a bit on the lighter side works well here. It is almost as if Genesee has created a bridge between a light, refreshing summer beer and a malty, fuller flavored fall beer. The fact that it is mid-August and still hot outside as I write this should let you know how refreshing I find this beer. If it was a cooler night in mid-September I might be looking for something with a little more body but for right now, Genesee Oktoberfest is working beautifully for me as a late summer session beer.

If you are looking to ease into fall beer, Genesee Oktoberfest is the perfect place to start. As the nights get colder, it might feel more appropriate for something with more body. For right now though, I highly recommend seeking it out. If you are not sold yet, the other fantastic thing about Genesee Oktoberfest is its price. At around 9-10 dollars for a 12-pack, I don't think you will find a better value out there.

Overall rating: 4/5. Light on the wallet & easy to drink, Genesee Oktoberfest is a fantastic bridge between summer & fall.

Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Oktoberfest Pt. 2 (Ayinger, Yuengling, Bells, Great Lakes)

Previously on A Crafty Look...

Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Marzen had a beautiful malt profile but it's hindered by a metallic finish.

Spaten Oktoberfest was boring and bland.

Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest was good but not as good as last year.

Left Hand Oktoberfest was quite good and deceptively strong at 6.6%.

Now that you are caught up with what happened last week, I can get right into this week's reviews starting things off with again in Germany with Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen. Pouring a clear amber with a white head, Ayinger's version of an Oktoberfest beer was a delight drink. Its aroma is very bready, grainy with some caramel and a hint of fruit and spice. The flavor matches the aroma, toasted bread and caramel shine initially. The sweetness of the caramel is quite nice. It is balanced by a nutty, spicy, dry finish. This stood out nicely compared to the other beers I reviewed. As you will shortly find out with Yuengling's Oktoberfest, balance is important. Oktoberfest beers have a tendency to get a little too sweet. I think Sam Adams is a perfect example of this. Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen adds a really nice amount of bitterness to prevent this from happening. The result is a wonderful beer for a crisp Fall night session. In short, I really enjoyed this beer. It's not the best beer I've had but it's one of the best Oktoberfest beers I've had.

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Next up we have the aforementioned Yuengling Oktotoberfest. I admit I have not had this one in a few years but I remember liking it a lot. This all changed when I put this beer against other ones in the style. Yuengling's version is largely hindered by it's lack of balance. Its ruby red color with an off-white head looks amazing. The aroma was bursting with caramel sweetness, a light spiciness and a lot of bread. A caramelized sugar sweetness is what mostly dominates the flavor. This all leads to the classic bready, Yuengling Lager finish. This would all work nicely if there was more hops in the finish to provide balance. Sadly, Yuengling Oktoberfest is completely under-hopped. The malt sweetness dominates mostly everything you taste. The hops are there but they are in the background and make things more bland than anything else. It merits saying this is a less expensive Oktoberfest beer and it is not a bad beer for the price. This is however, an example of getting what you pay for. This is the kind Oktoberfest you bring to a party of people you barely know because it is worth trying a bottle. You just won't give it a second thought when you leave the rest behind.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Of all the Oktoberfest beers I chose for this epic two part review, the one I was most excited to try was Bells Octoberfest. I am a huge fan of Bells Brewery and have not had a chance to try their Octoberfest. The main reason for this is the beer has not been bottled in 5 years. So when I saw it on the shelves next to their other fall offering Best Brown Ale, I grabbed it immediately. I just hoped it would live up to the high expectations I had for it. Unfortunately it only met those expectations halfway. The first initial taste reminded me of cheap beer. At 11 dollars a six pack, the last thing you want to compare your beer to is something you could have bought for 4. But let's make things a bit more positive here, there are notes of Toasted nuts, toffee, cracker with a slight fruitiness in the flavor. The finish had a touch of citrus which I thought was nice. As the seventh Oktoberfest beer I've reviewed any slight difference from toasted bread, caramel, and toasted nuts is quite nice. To sum it up, even though it is reminiscent of cheap beer, it is not bad beer. At times I actually found myself enjoying Bells Octoberfest. Unfortunately it's just nothing memorable. If they did not bottle it for another 5 years I probably wouldn't notice.

Overall rating: 3/5.

Finally my last Oktoberfest for the year, from Cleveland, Great Lakes Oktoberfest. At this point I am sure you know what to look for in the aroma and the flavor, so I will make this short and sweet. I am not really a fan of this beer. It gets a little too sweet at times. The caramel malt lingers a little too long after the spicy finish. It becomes a little distracting. Closing this blog with this beer may have been a mistake. Honestly after all this malt, I can't wait to drink a beer absolutely drowned in hops. Great Lakes Oktoberfest is definitely the sweetest one of the bunch and that is not a good thing.

Overall rating: 2/5

That concludes my epic 2 part Oktoberfest blog. For the first time ever, I think I am done drinking Oktoberfest beers by the end of September. Since the actual Oktoberfest ends around then, I think that's all right.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest

Like many other beer enthusiasts, I am a huge fan of oak aged beer. It’s gotten to a point that nothing will make me pick a beer quicker than seeing barrel aged on the label. I am also a huge fan of fall seasonal beers. The malt and hop profile to these beers seem to compliment the season beautifully. So you could imagine my excitement when I saw Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest. And later my disappointment when I found out that Oak was not used for any part of making this beer. 　In fact according to Firestone Walker's website Oaktoberfest gets its name for the brewery's hometown of Paso Robles or “Pass of the Oaks.” Regardless of whether this beer was oak aged or not, it is still from one of the more reliable craft breweries in the US and I could not wait to try it.

I poured Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest into a glass and immediately noticed its beautifully clear golden amber color and finger thick white head. The aroma was very reminiscent of a German pilsner. It was grainy, bready but there was also a hint of caramel. The aroma of the beer seemed to match the flavor. The bready malt practically mimics the traditional German Pilsner style. But unlike the traditional German Oktoberfest beers, there is only a hint of caramel sweetness in the flavor before a grassy hop finish that washes away clean providing a very light, smooth and easy drinking experience.

Normally at this point, I would begin to write a fairly positive conclusion for this safe but enjoyable beer. Unfortunately I just can’t do it. To me, the point of an Oktoberfest or any style fall beer is to provide a full flavor, slightly boozy, heavier alternative to the light bodied beers of summer. Oaktoberfest does not do that, in fact it is light enough that it seems more like a sessionable summer beer then it does a fuller bodied fall beer. 　But if this was a summer beer I would still feel that it is worth mentioning Oaktoberfest’s 12 dollars a 6 pack price, which is a few dollars higher than many superior alternatives from both summer and fall. Basically what I am trying to say is this is not a bad beer; it just does not work as a fall seasonal beer. And with its high price tag there is very little reason here for a repeat purchase.

　

Overall I’d rate Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest a 2.75/5. It’s a perfectly acceptable beer, just not a perfectly acceptable fall beer.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!